Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke to reporters at Citi Field before the game on Monday and said that it’s unlikely that the team will add a starting pitcher or position player and that their focus is on adding a bullpen arm before the trade deadline.

“I think realistically, the bullpen is the area we can get someone,” Alderson said. “I enjoy sizzle as much as anybody. But you have to be realistic.”

Alderson also said that other teams have been asking for the team’s top prospects, but he is unwilling to deal them, according to one report from Newsday’s Laura Albanese.

Without mentioning Jonathan Lucroy by name, Sandy said that a rumored deal for a prominent player was “dead on arrival.”

Still a week to go before the deadline, a lot can still change.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/07/alderson-says-starting-pitcher-or-bat-unlikely-unwilling-to-deal-top-prospects.html/feed/02015 Mid-Season Top 10 Mets Prospectshttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/06/2015-mmo-mid-season-top-10-prospects.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/06/2015-mmo-mid-season-top-10-prospects.html/#commentsThu, 11 Jun 2015 17:12:09 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=184125Now that the 2015 First-year player draft has concluded, I felt compelled to update our MMO Top Mets Prospect Rankings that our minor league team composed at the very beginning of the season. Before engaging in this discussion, I would first like to credit fellow MMO prospect writer, Michael Mayer, who helped assemble this list.

Interestingly, after years of blue-chip prospects in the upper levels of the minors, the Mets now have a system flush with extremely young talent. Of the top ten prospects, five are 20 years old or younger. Thus, you may be seeing some unfamiliar names in this midseason edition of the Mets top prospects. Enjoy!

*One thing to note: Though Noah Syndergaard and Dilson Herrera still technically qualify as prospects, for the purpose of the list consider them graduated.

Coming off a year in which he sported a 2.25 ERA across two leagues, not many expected Steven Matz to improve his statistics in the ban-box that is Triple-A Vegas. Somehow, though, the lefty noted as a “gamer” found a way to impove. Currently, the southpaw leads the Pacific Coast League in ERA (1.94), Wins (6), and Strikeouts (75). It won’t be long until we see Matz in the big leagues.

Michael Conforto’s five-ranking jump on the MMO prospect list can be credited to both the flurry of promotions of higher-valued Mets youngsters as well as a blistering start to the 2015 season. The 2014 first round pick made easy work of High-A St. Lucie before earning a call to Binghamton, where he has continued to hit. Overall, the former beaver owns an .871 OPS and a stellar 34:26 K/BB ratio in 2015. At this pace, a midseason 2016 debut is looking conservative.

Amed Rosario has quickly embraced full-season ball. Only 57 games into the season, the Santo Domingo native has already improved upon the total number of doubles and stolen bases he collected in 2014. His slash line of .275/.315/.374 is not great. However, we have to remember this kid is just 19 years old, nearly four years younger than the Low-A league average. In fact, Rosario has not faced one pitcher younger than him this season. Thus, his improvements are that much more impressive.

Brandon Nimmo’s stock has remained steady thanks to mixed results at Double-A. The lefty is hitting a strong .297 with a .788 OPS. However, Nimmo has slugged only two home runs and nine extra-base-hits in total. Power is generally the last tool to manifest in a prospect, but in his fifth professional season, you would have hoped to see a bit more pop. An interesting side note: Nimmo has not stolen or attempted to steal a base this year. Last year, the Wyomingite had 14 steals in 18 attempts, so maybe the 2011 first rounder is not 100%.

I have to be honest, I really love what I am seeing out of Gavin Cecchini in 2015. He has gotten considerably stronger, evidenced by his career-high .470 slugging percentage, and his line-drive swing is finally starting to produce results. “Cheech” has struggled in the field, committing 14 errors in 223 chances, but as few scouts questions his defensive ability, we can chalk those errors up to inadequate infields and inexperience rather than a lack of talent. I am excited to see how the former 12th overall pick performs in the second half of the season.

The victim of much criticism after an early slow start, Dominic Smith has turned around his season. Consider his improvement. In April, Smith batted .220 with a .500 OPS. In May, the lefty hit .276 with a .750 OPS. And in June, Smith has again increased his output with a .333 average and an astounding 1.036 OPS. If he can continue this positive trend, we may see Smith at first base in Binghamton in the near future. He still only 20 years old.

Pegged by MLB.com Prospect Analyst Jim Callis as a breakout candidate in his exclusive interview with MMO, Casey Meisner has lived up to those expectation halfway through 2015. In ten starts for Low-A Savannah, the 20-year-old owns a 6-1 record boosted by a sparkling 1.82 ERA. At 6-7, 190 pounds, Meisner should be able to add weight and consequently a few ticks to his fastball, which already sits in the low-to-mid 90s. Two years younger than the average Sally league player, the Mets may just leave him in Savannah to develop. Nevertheless, the big righty is making a name for himself in the lower minors and could see some time in Binghamton by season’s end.

Now with two straight strong campaigns under his belt, Wuilmer Becerra could make the R.A. Dickey trade the steal of the generation. The cavernous Greyson Stadium has hardly limited the Venezuela native; he sports a .288 batting average, a .340 on base percentage, and a career-high .845 OPS through 54 contests. In addition to the strong offensive game Becerra has showcased this year, the 20-year-old also has revealed good speed, solid range right field, as well as a strong arm. He is still pretty far away from the major leagues, but Becerra has the chance to develop into a five-tool player. I would not be surprised if he emerged as a top-five organizational prospect at this time next year.

Desmond Lindsay: Preseason Ranking N/A, Mid-season Ranking #9

The newest Mets top prospect, Desmond Lindsay offers an impressive combination of quickness, athleticism, power, and bat speed. Lindsay has a lot of developing and strengthening to undergo as a professional, but his four-tool potential earns him an early spot on the Mets top prospect list. Hopefully, we’ll catch the Mets first draft pick in Brooklyn this summer. For more on Lindsay, check out my full profile here.

Like many on this list, Robert Gsellman has catapulted himself from a mid-level prospect into the top ten. This jump is not hard to understand when you look at the numbers: in eight Low-A starts, the 6-4 righty owns a sparkling 1.76 ERA and 1.9 BB/9 ratio. Gsellman may need to put on a little more weight in order to sustain a 200 inning workload, but he has a good build for a starting pitchers. In his arsenal, his curveball is his trademark offering. Baseball Prospectus states that the hook is “already an above-average major league pitch”. His fastball tops out at 92 and his changeup is closer to average. Still, with an ideal frame and strong command of all three pitches, Gsellman could develop into a No. 3 or No. 4 starter, which the Mets would surely take from a 13th round pick.

The top prospects of every minor league system always seem to receive endless amounts of hype. Most of the time this attention is deserved as elite prospects are often potential game changers for their franchises. However, sometimes the prospects that are rarely discussed can make the strongest impact. Mets fans have witnessed this recently with the development of Jacob deGrom and Juan Lagares. Both players were not highly regarded prospects, yet they have emerged into key players at the major league level.

While it is always difficult to predict who the next surprise player like deGrom and Lagares will be, there are numerous underrated prospects in the Mets minor league system that might be able to make a similar impact some day. Here are my top five underrated Mets position players.

5. Luis Guillorme, SS

Luis Guillorme is the type of prospect that always seems to be overlooked since he does not have any exceptional hitting skills. However, he compensates for this by playing tremendous defense at a key position. The 19 year old shortstop is an elite defender due to his excellent range, good hands, and a very strong throwing arm.

Even though some believe Guillorme will not hit enough to start in the majors, his offense is not as weak as many think. While he will not hit for any power, he has showed some promising signs at the plate this season. Guillorme batted .283 with a solid .340 OBP in 274 at bats with the Kingsport Mets. If Guillorme can continue to hit for contact consistently, his defense is good enough to carry him all the way to the majors.

4. Ivan Wilson, CF

On the surface, it seems like Ivan Wilson is not a very impressive prospect. Wilson batted .176 this season for Kingsport, and struck out in 46 percent of his at bats. While these are certainly alarming signs, it is not enough to write him off as a prospect just yet.

Wilson is perhaps the best athlete in the entire system. He has enormous power potential at 6’3” and 220 pounds, and he is also an above average runner. This dangerous combination of power and speed for a centerfielder gives him a high upside and a very promising future. Eventually he will have to translate these raw skills into results, but he still has plenty of time to develop as he is just 19 years old.

3. Jayce Boyd, 1B

Ever since the Mets drafted Jayce Boyd in the 6th round in 2012, he has impressed at every level. Boyd batted .330 with an outstanding .410 OBP last season, and he also had a solid .293 batting average this past season in Double-A. Despite his great overall numbers, many underrate Boyd because of his low home run totals.

Boyd has yet to reach double digit home runs in a single season in the minors, but he has more raw power than his stats indicate. At 6’3” and 185 pounds, he is strong enough to start hitting more home runs.

Another factor to consider is that power is often the last skill that develops for prospects. A recent example of this in the Mets minors is Lucas Duda. Duda struggled to hit for a lot of power early in his minor league career, and he actually posted identical numbers to Boyd. Duda hit just 9 home runs and had.808 OPS in AA, while Boyd hit 8 home runs with a .796 OPS at the same age and level as Duda. It’s not fair to expect Boyd to replicate Duda’s success, but this example is a strong reminder that minor league numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

2. Champ Stuart, CF

While Champ Stuart has started to gain more recognition of late, he still appears to be an unknown for many fans. Stuart is arguably the fastest player in the Mets organization, and he effectively utilizes his elite speed. Stuart stole 29 bases in just 81 games for Single-A Savannah while only getting caught 4 times. His athleticism also allows him to play excellent defense in centerfield.

Stuart has also made a lot of progress at the plate since the Mets drafted him 2013. He has a decent .251 average and a solid .359 OBP as a professional, which is encouraging considering that he was viewed as a very raw prospect coming out of college.

1. Vicente Lupo, LF

After an extremely disappointing season in 2013, most people had forgotten about Vicente Lupo. Lupo was one of the Mets top international signings in 2010, and he was often praised for his excellent power and patience at the plate. Most of this hype disappeared the 2013 season as Lupo batted .220 with just four home runs in 110 at bats for the Gulf Coast League Mets. However, Lupo put together a very strong bounce back campaign in 2014.

In 133 at bats this for Kingsport, Lupo batted .278 with 7 Home runs and.a 918 OPS. What is most encouraging about his performance is that he made tremendous strides as the season progressed. Lupo was almost unstoppable during the final month of the season where he hit .333 with 6 home runs and 21 RBI.

While there aren’t many people talking about Lupo right now, I expect that to change quickly. Lupo carries a lot of power potential, and he is continuing to make a lot of progress. As he advances to higher levels of the minors, Lupo could emerge into one of the Mets most exciting prospects.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Mets were discussing a three-team blockbuster trade that would have landed them shortstop Ian Desmond from the Nationals while Washington ended up with second baseman Ben Zobrist and shortstop Yunel Escobar from the Rays.

The three teams were discussing the deal in recent days, but the “conversations fizzled when the Mets balked at the Rays’ price for Desmond” sources said.

The Nationals would have sent Desmond to the Rays for Zobrist and Escobar, the two players the Rays traded to the Athletics on Saturday.

The Rays then would have flipped Desmond to the Mets for two top prospects from a list of three – a price the Mets considered too steep.

The Rays’ wish list included pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, but the other target was unknown although there was some buzz that it could have been a top position player prospect like Kevin Plawecki or Dilson Herrera. Again that was just buzz…

The Mets also engaged in direct talks for Zobrist, who like Desmond is entering his free-agent year. But the Rays again wanted two top prospects, and the Mets said no.

The Mets were one of a dozen teams interested in dealing for Zobrist. Rosenthal adds that the Mets are still actively looking to upgrade over their current shortstops, Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada, however, not if it costs them any of their top prospects.

I suddenly have this crazy urge to say “dang” right now… I really need a day off…

Today marks the start of the 2014 MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, California. The Mets have already made their big move early in the offseason when they signed Michael Cuddyer to a two year, $21 million contract, but there’s still plenty of work that lies ahead.

According to Sandy Alderson, there may not be anything significant happening in the next four days. He and his staff plan to take a patient approach and see how various markets develop. However, Sandy is as stealthy as they come and he often has something cooking that catches everyone by surprise. In fact, Andy Martino of the Daily News already got the sense that Sandy already has something up his sleeve after speaking to a Mets official.

By now you should all know what the Mets hope to accomplish here in San Diego. Their mission is to canvass and gauge the market for a potential upgrade at shortstop, while trying to add a second lefty for the bullpen and a right-handed bench bat.

I love this time of the year and I’m fascinated by watching how all 30 teams navigate through their offseason. It’s interesting to see how each team’s roster evolves and takes shape for the upcoming season.

We’ll keep a day by day thread here on MMO that will be updated as rumors and transactions keep coming in. Feel free to share any interesting links and rumors you may come across in the comments, after all, we’re in this together. Thanks for being a part of the MMO community and enjoy these next few days as it should be a lot of fun. Let’s Go Mets!

That was confirmed tonight when Sandy Alderson spoke to reporters at the Winter Meetings in San Diego and said the Mets were never in play for Gregorius.

“There’s some young pitching we weren’t prepared to trade,” said Alderson who added that the two clubs “never had extensive conversations.”

The Mets were wise saying no to these demands, causing Arizona to look elsewhere and eventually secure prospects Robbie Ray and Domingo Leyba from the Tigers’ system.For the Diamondbacks, Ray and Leyba were greater than or equal to Noah Syndergaard.

The Yankees, in turn, gave up 26 year-old Shane Greene, who surprised many with his solid performance in 2014 (3.78 ERA / 3.73 FIP).

So what gives?

First, Shane Greene. The Tigers were looking for an inexpensive back-end starter to fill out their rotation in 2015 and beyond. Greene fits that mold. But by no means is he the type of young pitcher you would usually acquire for a combination of top prospects. Coming into the 2014 season, Greene ranked 27th on a composite list of Yankee prospects. At 25, he is a late bloomer, and despite his solid pitching last season, looking at his history throughout the minors, it is hard to believe that he will turn into anything above a fourth or fifth starter.

I don’t think the Tigers are expecting much more from Greene, which is why it is quite clear that they don’t place very high value on either Ray or Leyba.

Which brings us back to the original question. Why would Arizona refuse to engage with the Mets on any prospect below Syndergaard, who is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, when they were willing to take less of a package from Detroit?

For the Mets, it means that Sandy Alderson was wise not to overpay for Gregorius, who is a solid defensive shortstop, but at a projected 1.2 fWAR next season per Steamer, not necessarily a huge upgrade in comparison to the offensive value of in-house talent such as Wilmer Flores.

The Arizona Fall League got underway on Tuesday and the Mets contingent got off to a running start.

Left fielder Brandon Nimmo had an exciting debut, going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored, helping Scottsdale defeat Salt River by a score of 7-4. Nimmo also stole third base. Shortstop Matt Reynolds went 0-for-3 with a walk.

Julian Hilario tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win, walking one while striking out one. Paul Sewald allowed three hits and struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings, and Dario Alvarez was touched for a solo home run in his one inning of relief. .

There are six teams in the Arizona Fall League: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Glendale Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. These club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state.

The teams are broken into two divisions, East and West. Each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the Arizona Fall League, 180 players in all. The games are played in the Spring Training stadiums used by the Giants, Mariners, Padres, Cubs, A’s, Royals, Rangers, D-backs and Rockies.

The talent is very real, and very potent every year.

The Mets have not sent their best prospects over the past few years, putting in guys with less potential. But this year, they embraced the AFL philosophy and sent Brandon Nimmo, a consensus Mets top 5 prospect.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/10/nimmo-has-solid-debut-in-arizona-fall-league.html/feed/0Mets Lack Excitement On The 40-Man Rosterhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/08/mets-lack-excitement-on-the-40-man-roster.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/08/mets-lack-excitement-on-the-40-man-roster.html/#commentsThu, 28 Aug 2014 13:21:15 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=164403September 1st is just over one week away and looking over the Mets 40-man roster, there are really no players worth calling up.

What makes this an interesting month is that the Mets won’t be playing for anything in September and all of the players that they could call up would be filling spots occupied by other starters. Take Syndergaard as an example. Unless there is an injury to one of the five starters, someone would have to be skipped or removed from the rotation to make room for him.

In addition, someone would need to be removed from the 40-man and passed through waivers. That could be a guy like Goeddel, a five-year minor leaguer who hasn’t shown much in that time. Another guy could be Puello who has struggled mightily since returning from his steroid suspension. He is batting just .238 in 100 games (AAA) this year after an impressive .326 in 2013 (AA).

There is one guy that could make sense in September. If the Mets choose to give their pitchers some extra rest and move to a six man rotation, Steven Matz could be recalled from AA to make a few starts. Matz is 6-4 with a filthy 2.17 ERA and 8 strikeouts per nine innings. Sure it’s a jump to go from AA to the majors but because he’s already on the 40-man roster it’s an easy move to make.

The Mets will look different in 2015 but for now it will be nice to get a small peak at the future. On September 1st we’ll start to see what the Mets have moving forward and which players will be moving on from Queens.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/08/mets-lack-excitement-on-the-40-man-roster.html/feed/0Keith Law on deGrom, Thor and Marcos Molinahttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/07/keith-law-on-degrom-thor-and-marcos-molina.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/07/keith-law-on-degrom-thor-and-marcos-molina.html/#commentsFri, 25 Jul 2014 14:44:30 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=161666ESPN’s MLB Insider Keith Law should just call his weekly chat with Insider Subscribers, “Mets Chat”. These last few weeks have been incredibly full of Mets questions as the our farm system and top prospects continues to draw a lot of positive attention – and envy too.

Here are some nuggets I pulled out from Wednesday’s exchange:

Are you surprised by Dilson Herrera‘s 359./421./581. line in 30 games at Binghamton, so far? Is he a Top 100 candidate for next season?

I like Herrera quite a bit and he is a top 100 candidate, but 30 games at any level by any player is a blink of an eye.

Would it be in the Mets best interest to call-up Noah Syndergaard? Don’t they risk damaging his confidence or having him attempt to fix something that isn’t broken by letting him continue to pitch in that environment?

I talked to him before the Futures Game – he seems unfazed by the altitude out there and it’s not like he’s having bad results.

Is Marcos Molina someone Mets fans should be looking out for or is his delivery too much of a problem? Word is he has electric stuff.

I wrote about him a month ago – fastball is plus with good life, tough arm action for a starter between the low slot and ‘slinging’ delivery.

Is Jacob deGrom for real? He doesn’t seem to be they guy we watched in the minors. No complaints here.

Got a lot better this year. Late convert to pitching, found another gear with his secondary stuff post-TJ recovery. I had him as my #10 Mets prospect going into 2013 and Met fans said I was nuts to have him that high. I was *way* too light on him!

You’ve mentioned often that the Mets have several minor league affiliates (I’m thinking Savannah and Las Vegas) with unfavorable home environments. To what degree do those situations negatively impact the team’s ability to properly develop prospects?

I think they can cause two problems. One is players changing their approach to fit the park – e.g., a hitter over-swinging to try to hit homers in a park that depresses them, a pitcher trying too hard to miss bats because he’s afraid of contact. The other is internal evaluations – you have to be able to look past Syndergaard posting a 6 ERA in Vegas and realize he’s doing what you want him to do.

I always thought that the Arizona Fall League was a place where teams sent their top prospects to play against the top prospects of other teams. The reasoning behind this is to get them playing against the best competition available, which would be beneficial to their development. In fact, on the AFL official website, it states “given the top prospects who play here, every game in the AFL is like a future All-Star Game. It’s a definite destination for baseball fans and families who want to see great action on the diamond.”

Most teams send a wide range of prospects, but the majority of them rank in the top 20 of their organizations. The stands are packed with scouts who are all their to see and evaluate. This season, the AFL features Byron Buxton, who many consider the top prospect in all of baseball. In previous years, we have seen Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Albert Pujols, David Wright, and many other top players in the game grace the AFL fields in October.

The question is why do the Mets continue to use this league as an extension of the regular season for players that missed time, rather than send their top prospects?

Hansel Robles is the highest ranked prospect that was sent to the AFL this season. Robles is currently ranked as the Mets’ No. 20 prospect on MLB.com, but depending on who you ask, that ranking could be lower. Don’t get me wrong, the five players they sent are nice players, but they aren’t considered the cream of the crop.

I had a brief discussion with Metsblog’s Michael Baron on Twitter yesterday, and we both have differing views on what the AFL is about. He argued that it was a way for the Mets to get the players they sent extra at-bats since they missed time due to injuries, and to further evaluate players. I argued that while it is about evaluating players, the AFL is supposed to be reserved for the top talent in the minor leagues.

The Mets obviously side with Baron’s idea of what the AFL is all about, while the majority of other teams in baseball seem to side with my view.

Having these guys play against other top players would be incredibly beneficial to their development, and a way for the Mets to showcase some of their top talent.

Unfortunately, a lot of the Mets top talent is still in the lower levels of the minors, and you can only send one player that is below Double-A to participate in the AFL.

I scratched my head when I saw the players that the Mets sent this year. I understand that with strict innings limitations, they are limited with the pitchers they can send. I understand sending Cory Vaughn, but if they are trying to get players that were injured during the season more time, then why not send guys like Travis d’Arnaud, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Fulmer? Those guys could all use the extra work and they fit the bill of being top prospects in the organization.

While fans of other teams in baseball get to watch their teams’ top prospects playing AFL games on MLB Network, Mets fans get to watch players that the Mets send to get more at-bats. The Mets must’ve missed the memo that “every game in the AFL is like a future All-Star Game.” The AFL is a showcase league, and the Mets can’t even get that right.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/11/the-new-york-mets-and-their-mysterious-arizona-fall-league-strategy.html/feed/0Fangraphs’ Scouting Report On Mets’ Prospect Amed Rosariohttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/11/fangraphs-scouting-report-on-mets-prospect-amed-rosario.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/11/fangraphs-scouting-report-on-mets-prospect-amed-rosario.html/#commentsMon, 04 Nov 2013 18:16:50 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=132183Nathaniel Stotltz, of Fangraphs, did an excellent scouting report on the very talented Amed Rosario. Rosario is a shortstop that many consider to be one of the top prospects in the organization. Extremely young and raw, he’s still 17 (18 this month), he was tabbed as the Appalachian League’s top prospect in 2013.

Here are some highlights regarding what Stoltz said about Rosario:

Defensively

“While it’s too early to say that he’ll definitively stick at shortstop–so much of that depends on how his body evolves–it’s safe to say that Rosario will have some defensive value. At worst, he’s probably an average defensive third baseman…”

Offensively

“A major part of the problem is Rosario’s tendency to lose his posture during his swing, extending his hands too far and leaning out at the ball…”

“In the home run clip, Rosario stays very stable and upright, allowing his hands to rip through the hitting zone and sting the ball. Here, his right shoulder is dipping down all the way through the swing, giving him less explosion through the ball and looping underneath it. It’s obviously very tough to do anything with inside pitches from this position, and when Rosario dips his shoulder like this, he’s cutting off a lot of the advantages that his quick hands give him.

Thankfully, this is very fixable, and Rosario has years to fix it. If he can be more consistent in his posture and cut out the shoulder movement, his bat speed should play more consistently and make him above-average in both contact and power…”

“Like most young hitters, Rosario will occasionally get overaggressive and pull off the ball…”

“It seems that most of Rosario’s contact to the left side is on the ground, whereas his line drives and fly balls come to center and right…”

My Thoughts

Stotltz hits the nail on the head with this scouting report. I would have liked for him to expand a little more on what may be causing these issues, but he does a great job nonetheless.

Rosario is young–most kids that are turning 18 are seniors in high school. It’s not completely out of the ordinary to see young hitters dipping their shoulders trying to make contact with outside pitches and off-speed pitches. This is why he flares a lot of hits to right field.

It’s also not out of the ordinary to see young hitters try to pull outside pitches. This will cause a ton of ground balls to the left side of the infield, which is evidenced in Rosario’s spray chart.

A lot of Rosario’s problems are due to pitch recognition. As he gains more experience, he will recognize the pitch better and be able to stay on top of the ball and drive it to the opposite field.

Stotlz hints to another red flag that Rosario is having trouble with pitch recognition where he states “watch how long Rosario waits before he starts his swing. He has very impressive bat speed, and thus can sit back on pitches for much of their flight path and still get his bat to the ball.” Rosario is likely waiting longer to start his swing because he is having trouble recognizing what pitch is being thrown.

He will get jammed a lot, as this leaves him vulnerable on the inner-half, but it is not something I would be overly concerned about. If Rosario is still having these issues in two years, then I would start to worry. Minor mechanical issues aside, Rosario is a kid that Mets fans should definitely keep their eye on over the next couple of years.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/11/fangraphs-scouting-report-on-mets-prospect-amed-rosario.html/feed/0Chris Young Could Make Pelfrey’s Loss Less Painfulhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/04/chris-young-could-make-pelfreys-loss-less-painful.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/04/chris-young-could-make-pelfreys-loss-less-painful.html/#commentsSat, 28 Apr 2012 14:55:32 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=79138The Mets suffered a huge blow to the starting rotation when it was learned that Mike Pelfrey would be out for the remainder of the season (and a good chunk of next season) due to a partial tear of his UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) in his pitching elbow. Because of the tear, Pelfrey is now having Tommy John Surgery and will require a full year to recover before beginning rehab.

With Pelfrey out, the Mets called up Chris Schwinden to replace him in the Mets rotation. Schwinden is a good call-up for a temporary role in the rotation, but I feel as though he may not be the answer in the long-term. Last night, once Rockies hitters got a second and third look at him, they touched him up pretty good,

During the broadcast last night, Gary Cohen talked about the possibility of calling up top prospects Matt Harvey or Jeurys Familia to fill Pelfrey’s spot in the rotation. But I don’t see the Mets calling upon any of the top prospects until September and that’s assuming they prove to be up for the task.

The Mets have taken their time developing these pitchers and they will be up with the big-club soon enough, but there is no way that the team would simply rush them now in an act of desperation.

One option the Mets should consider is Chris Young.

The Mets right-hander is currently rehabbing in Florida with the Single-A St. Lucie Mets and many believe that he will become available to pitch by the end of May or early June.

Young could bring a steady veteran presence to the rotation if he can return to the form we saw early last season before the injury. He may soon be ready to give the Mets some much-needed quality starts, and together with Santana, Niese and Dickey, could give the Mets a pretty solid top four as they head into the dog days of summer and try to stay in the thick of things.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/04/chris-young-could-make-pelfreys-loss-less-painful.html/feed/0Mets Farm System Getting Long Overdue Recognitionhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/02/mets-farm-system-getting-long-overdue-recognition.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/02/mets-farm-system-getting-long-overdue-recognition.html/#commentsTue, 23 Feb 2010 19:45:41 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=21335A couple of key prospects rankings were released this week and the Mets are prominently featured in both.

First, here is the 2010 Top 100 Prospects from Project Prospect, which features five Mets.

Finally, the one prospect list that everyone anxiously awaits for each February, Baseball America. The leading authority on baseballs best prospects doesn’t rank the Mets as highly as Project Prospect, but they did manage to squeeze four of them in although none were in the Top 50.

56 Jenrry Mejia RHP – ETA 2012

62 Ike Davis 1B – ETA 2011

77 Fernando Martinez OF – ETA 2011

88 Wilmer Flores SS – ETA 2013

In December, BA had Flores ranked second in the Mets Top 10. Two months later and he has been passed up by F-Mart and Ike Davis. There seems to be a widening gap between those who see Mejia as a reliever in the Major Leagues or a top of the rotation starter.

In 2009, the Mets farm system seemed to get a bad rap from sites like ESPN, FOX Sports and SI.com. It’s been a little different this winter and there seems to be a shift in opinion as the stocks of Josh Thole, Ike Davis and Jenrry Mejia continue to rise.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/02/mets-farm-system-getting-long-overdue-recognition.html/feed/0The Fresh Prince Of…. Queens?http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/08/the-fresh-prince-of-queens.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/08/the-fresh-prince-of-queens.html/#commentsThu, 27 Aug 2009 23:55:25 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=12009Each day the calendar comes closer and closer to the end of the season, the day many Mets fans are anxiously awaiting. As the season continues to wear on, I cannot help but be drawn to potential trade ideas for our beloved Mets to explore this offseason. Because- let’s face it, dreaming of “what could be” is a thousand times more interesting than the lineup of scrubs we place out there every night.

While watching tonight’s latest mishap I conjured up a potential trade that I thought would be a good start for a discussion amongst Mets fans. How about this?

METS GET:

1B Prince Fielder

INF Taylor Green

BREWERS GET:

1B Daniel Murphy

SP Jenrry Mejia

SP John Maine

SP Bobby Parnell

To me, the Mets and Brewers are a perfect match to make a deal. The Brewers are looking to trade Fielder and his upcoming salary increase, and in return are looking for young starting pitching. The Mets, are in desperate need of a legitimate power source to plug in between Carlos Beltran and David Wright next year. And with Delgado, Schneider etc. coming off the books, the Mets can afford to take on Fielder’s contract.

No doubt this deal would cause a controversy throughout the Mets fan base (honestly, what deal doesn’t?) But in my humble opinion, the pros greatly outweigh the cons in this particular situation. Let’s first look at possible negative outcomes of this trade: We are giving up young pitching talent which we so obviously need. Yes, trading Mejia, Maine and Parnell take a big chunk out of our pitching prospects, but barring additions or substitutions to the above package, we would still have (a healthy) Jon Niese, Brad Holt, Dillon Gee, Scott Moviel, Micheal Antonini, and Dylan Owen down in the farm continuing to grow and develop. The solution (albeit not an easy one) is for the Mets to draft wisely, and continue to re-stock the farm system over the next few years to make up for those lost in this trade.

While the deal above would more than likely require the Mets to give up a little more, this has a possibility of happening. Mejia is a stud prospect who could eventually team up with Gallardo in the Brewers rotation and be a good #2 or #3 starter. While he may be many years away, there is no denying the talent this kid has. Maine is coming off a injury riddled season, but before his injury Maine has been a decent starter, and at times shown flashes of being more than that. He could easily slide into the Brewers #3 or #4 slot next season, giving them immediate production from the trade. Murphy could either fill in for Fielder in Milwaukee, or be used as trade fodder, while Parnell would be the only way this deal even gets considered. He is major league ready, and could fill in their rotation or bullpen next season, which is exactly what the Brewers are looking for.

The pros to this deal are more than just the jolt Fielder would give the Mets offense, but the jolt he would send through the entire organization and fan base. Omar making a bold move such as this would show the team (not to mention all of us clamoring for his head on a silver platter) that he is not going to tip toe quietly into the night, but is going to give us a legitimate chance of winning in 2010. Fielder is a pure slugger, and someone who would be able to, night in and night out, be able to rocket the ball out of our cavernous home ballpark. The middle of the Mets lineup would once again strike a bit of fear into opposing pitchers (Beltran, Fielder, and Wright) and would give an anemic offensive team a bit of life.

Let’s face it- the Mets are built as a “win now” team. Unless we trade Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes and Johan Santana and completely re-tool and re-build, we will be a “win now” team. Omar needs to make bold, creative moves that create the team into a contender again. Adding Fielder would make the Mets relevant again, and sweep away all of the negative comments that seem to cloud the team every day. The tabloids and media would no longer be talking about the ineptitude of the franchise, but the possibility that the Mets might actually be relevant.

I believe that getting Fielder would be a step in the right direction this offseason. The deal would prove to potential free agent targets (Rich Harden? Erik Bedard? Bobby Abreu? Xavier Nady?) that the Mets mean business and are not the laughing stock of the league. A lineup of Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Fielder, Wright, Abreu, Francoeur, and some catcher (Ramon Hernandez? Gregg Zaun?) would provide a much better lineup than we have trotting out this season..

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/08/the-fresh-prince-of-queens.html/feed/0F-Mart: Is It Too Soon To Judge?http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/07/f-mart-is-it-to-soon-to-judge.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/07/f-mart-is-it-to-soon-to-judge.html/#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2009 21:30:20 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=8571In July 2005 the New York Mets signed 16 year old Fernando Martinez. F-Mart was given a signing bonus of $1.4 million and from that point on was labeled as the future of the New York Mets. Omar Minaya said of F-Mart when he signed that:

“What we saw in [Martinez] was a 16-year-old kid with power, great ability and great character, above everything else.”

F-Mart was considered to be a “five tool player” meaning that he could hit for average, power, excellent at running the bases, excellent speed, excellent fielding and an amazing throwing arm. For the last 4 years other clubs in the majors have wanted the young outfielder in trades but the Mets put F-Mart on untouchable status. There was no player nor any situation that would warrant a trade for the young outfielder.

At the age of 19 he was assigned to the Mets Double A team. There were some concerns however. Martinez has proven to be injury prone. In 2007 he missed part of the minor league season with an injured wrist which resulted in having surgery to remove his hamate bone. 2008 Fernando suffered another injury, this time he injured his hamstring twice that year. Early this year playing winter ball F-Mart injured his elbow, though no surgery was required, just some rest. Now in 2009 he is on the disabled list with a bad knee.

F-Mart started the year in AAA, playing for the Bisons. Before being called on May 26 he was batting .291 with 8 home-runs, and at the time he was leading the international league with 25 extra base hits in just 42 games. He knew that the eyes of the baseball world were on him when the Mets, having no choice due to the injuries that they have suffered over the first half of the season, called him up.

2009 so far has not been a great year for F-Mart as of yet. He has played so far 29 games. He has had 91 at bats and is currently hitting .176 with 14 strike outs, an on-base percentage of .242.

I think it would be fair to say that F-Mart has been unimpressive in his early career with the Mets. He has looked over-matched at the plate for most of his appearances. Recently, he struck out in twice in the same game by swinging at strike 3 that was thrown at his eyes. I think his work in the field still needs work as he does not always get a good read on the ball though he does recover quickly to make the out. Plus, I don’t know if the maturity is there yet either, to be a big leaguer. I hate to keep bringing it up, but let’s not forget the pop up that he did not run out that the opposing catcher dropped. Had F-Mart been running to first he would have been on base.

Personally I do think it’s too early to judge him. I’ve been saying for a couple of years now that the Mets have for some reason rushed him through the system. It seems that they wanted to justify as soon as possible that he was worthy of turning down trades for some big names that have been offered to the Mets. This season with all the injuries the team has suffered and the lack of depth in AAA, all eyes were on him more than they would have been for him to perform well. He has lost time developing due to the injuries he has suffered over his short career so far, which is something to also keep in mind. If you remember, this year the Mets originally did not plan to bring him up this early. They were talking after the All-Star game at the earliest, not the end of May.

The Mets have a habit of rushing their top prospects through the system, I think that is what’s happening to F-Mart. He should have been down at AAA playing for the Bisons this season. I know seeing him strikeout is frustrating considering how long he has been touted as the future of this team, but we have to remember that he’s just 20 years old, has not had a lot of minor league experience, and is still developing. I know some are calling him a bust, but it’s too early to make that judgment right right now. I do think F-Mart can be a good player at the major league level, but it will take time and patience.